"Awaiting for Cupid to strike", says Actor Sri

It took him 9 long years to be what he is now. He started off with street plays to become an RJ in in Aha FM then to a silver screen artist. And today he stands there having claimed a space for himself in Kollywood. Just three films old, actor Sri is a part of movie that won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Unlike other heroes and heroines who get into the industry using their kith and kin’s name and fame, Sri hails from a non cine background.

When asked what keeps him going , he says “Acting is an art, and one has to balance himself once he is into the industry”. He has a degree in Visual Communication. It was then when he got introduced in mini screen. He played the role of Sri in Kana Kaanum Kaalangal which was the first serial in Indian and Tamil Television to focus solely on adolescence and school life and became a trend setter.

Sri got his break in Balaji Sakthivel’s Vazakku Enn 18/9 where he plays the role of Velu, a roadside vendor in the crime thriller movie. The movie was a critically acclaimed one, winning the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil. Sri clinched a name through this movie. After which he played the role of a medical student, Chandru in Mysskin’s Onnayum Aattukuttiyum . His Soan Papdi though didn’t get good reviews saw him portray yet another different role, that of an employed engineer. Soan Papdi was directed by Sivani, a debutant director. Currently he has completed shooting for Vil Ambu which is yet another thriller movie.

During the interview, Sri shares his experience of acting with top directors like Mysskin , Balaji Sakthivel and that of new directors like Shivani and Ramesh. He says that the directors bring out the best out of him, and Directors Mysskin and Balaji Sakthivel took care of his comfort level and kept enquiring if he was fine with the shots while he was shooting for their movies. With his experience with Balaji Sakthivel, he says the director taps from the unconscious whereas Mysskin shows how to tap the unconscious through consciousness. Its liking battling between ironies.He admits his willingness to experiment with roles from new directors too until and unless the script is appealing.

A very hard working actor, Sri steps into the shoes of the role that he portrays in the movie and lives in those shoes till gets over. “While I was acting for Vazakku Enn 18/9, I went to streets, tried out the costume for one whole week and lived that sort of life before I started shooting for the movie.” He says that one must try the prototype before he sets his feet into that position. He takes the previous movie as his challenge. Sri says, “Its more of how the industry sees me rather than thinking about it”. He chooses those stories which would reflect something to, in real life.

All his movies have had a thriller touch. When asked about that one genre he is looking forward to act in his upcoming movies, he says, “Romance is one genre that I haven’t tried out yet”. On questioning, one heroine you look forward to act with, with a blush says Nithya Menen and Parvathy Menon are two actresses whom I really admire in the industry.

When asked about his love life and marriage plans to this 28 year old actor, he says he is single now and he has no time to think about marriage for the next few years as his full concentration is on his career. Other than acting, Sri is a voracious reader, his favourite genre being crime and detective. He also loves playing video games.

Actor Sri has been roped in for a new movie, directed by Lokesh under the Potenitial Studios. The movie is yet to be titled and will also have Sundeep Kishan and Regina Cassandra in lead roles.